With up to a foot of snow accumulation Wednesday and forecasts predicting cold temperatures through Friday, City crews will continue to work around the clock to clear priority snow routes. Many City services, including Arne Hanna Aquatic Center, all Bellingham Public Library locations, all Whatcom Museum locations and Civic Field, will remain closed on Thursday (Jan. 18, 2024), and the daytime warming shelter will be open again.
Continue to limit travel to essential trips only. If you must travel, give plows plenty of room to do their jobs, clear your car of snow, give yourself extra time and drive for the road conditions and within your abilities.
“Thank you to all community members who helped out during today’s snowstorm by staying off the roads. Our first responders and snow crews were hard at work today and, thanks to everyone limiting their travel, we had fewer than expected service requests and vehicle accidents. Let’s keep this up tomorrow by continuing to stay home when possible during these winter conditions,” Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund said.
A summary of impacts to City services for January 18 includes:
- All Bellingham Public Library branches will remain closed and all Library programs and events are cancelled.
- Arne Hanna Aquatic Center and Whatcom Museum remain closed.
- Several Parks and Recreation activity updates: all volleyball and basketball games are postponed; Preschool Open Gym and Travelogue are canceled.
- Many park openings will be delayed, and some parks may remain closed while staff address priority areas. Be careful, many areas have slick ice- and snow-covered spots and there may be downed trees and branches.
- City Hall will remain open, including the Finance Department and Permit Center, but community members are encouraged to access resources online, including utility billing. Building inspections may be delayed.
- Bellingham Municipal Court services may be limited or postponed.
Bellingham residents should call (360) 778-7700 or use the SeeClickFix app to report snow and ice removal needs, downed trees on streets, sidewalks or other public property, and other hazardous conditions. Use online reporting for minor incidences, like minor vehicle accidents, and 911 for emergencies.
The daytime warming center at 1013 W. Holly will be open and staffed by Homeless Outreach Team members from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Thursday, January 18. Anyone who needs shelter from the cold and cannot make it to a warming shelter should call 911 for help. Please pre-arrange any donations so that staff can focus on operations. Get volunteer, donation and shelter info from the Whatcom County winter shelter page.
Any additional weather-related impacts will be shared throughout the day on the City’s social media channels. More information is available at cob.org/snow.
January 18 morning update:
Sanitary Service Company (SSC) decided to suspend service on Thursday due to road conditions. Impacted customers have been notified and after conditions have improved these customers have a variety of ways to have their garbage, recycling and compost collected for no additional charge. Details can be found on their website.
